Utah State Football Boasts Wealth Of Experience In Quarterbacks Room
Aug 17, 2024, 4:19 PM
LOGAN, UT- OCTOBER 8: The sun sets over the game between the Utah State Aggies and the Air Force Falcons during the second half of their game October 8, 2022 Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah.
LOGAN, Utah—Unprecedented roster turnover in recent years has turned the college football landscape on its head. Fans can no longer depend on familiar names and faces to lead their favorite programs year after year.
The transfer portal and an overall relaxing of rules designed to limit player movement have created an environment that resembles pro free agency more closely than the continuity college sports used to represent. Seemingly gone are the days of watching an unheralded recruit develop into a game-changer over four or five seasons.
The change is evident in the Utah State Aggies quarterbacks room after the team lost all three quarterbacks to start a game in 2023. Levi Williams gave up his final season of eligibility for a chance to join the Navy SEALs. Cooper Legas and McCae Hillstead entered the transfer portal following spring practices, landing at Tulsa and BYU, respectively.
RELATED: Every Beehive State College Football Player Named To Award Watch Lists
Utah State’s Quarterbacks Have Plenty of Experience Despite Being New to the Program
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— USU Football (@USUFootball) August 16, 2024
“Obviously, we remade the quarterback room in the offseason,” QB coach Hayden Kingston said. “Having these guys get into our system, learn how we operate, and learn our mentality and our philosophy on offense has probably been their biggest challenge. Each one of them has stepped up in a big way. They came here because they believe in our philosophy, and they believe in what we do.”
At the top of the depth chart is Spencer Petras. Petras spent six seasons at the University of Iowa, playing in 37 games and starting 31 before an injury cost him the 2023 campaign. The San Rafael, California native completed 468-of-825 (.567) passes for 5,199 yards with 24 touchdowns and 19 interceptions while rushing for 11 scores.
“I expect Spencer to continue to be the same guy he has been since he got here in early January, and that is to be the hardest worker in the room, the most accountable guy in the room, and hold all his teammates to the same standard that he holds himself to, which is to go out and try to be the best quarterback he can be. You will see an efficient quarterback in Spencer, one that is mechanically clean from the bottom up. His feet are awesome. What he does in the pocket and how he moves in the pocket is huge for us. And the arm talent is going to be on full display,” added Kingston.
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Behind Petras is a Milford, Utah native whose name is familiar to many in the Beehive State.
Former University of Utah QB Bryson Barnes transferred 90 minutes north after spending four seasons with the Utes. The former three-time first-team all-state representative played in 24 games, making ten starts under center for Kyle Whittingham’s team. Barnes threw for 2,025 yards with 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 60.1 percent of his passes. The dual-threat athlete added 391 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, finishing 6-4 as the starter in 2023.
“No player has made a bigger jump from spring ball to where they are now in fall camp than Bryson, and that is a testament to how hard he was willing to work,” said Kingston. “Bryson is playing with a lot more confidence and a lot more efficiency, and he is creating explosive plays on offense. He is settling into what we are trying to do and how we are trying to do it.”
How can you not respect what Bryson Barnes has done with his opportunity?
He’s actually doing it.
He’s making the necessary reads and throws.
Seeing pressure off the boot and dropping pleasure in a bucket.
This kid. pic.twitter.com/rvKESQc78T— Hans Olsen (@975Hans) October 26, 2023
Another name familiar to college football fans in Utah is graduate junior Jacob Conover. Conover spent three seasons at BYU before transferring to Arizona State ahead of the 2023 season.
That trio is joined by redshirt freshman CJ Tiller, who spent last year with Boise State, and a pair of junior college transfers: junior Braden Siri (American Fork, Utah/Lone Peak HS/Golden West College) and sophomore Levi Manning (Bakersfield, Calif./Centennial HS/Bakersfield College).
60 In 60: #16 Utah State’s Spencer Petras (Quarterback)
“Collectively as a group, we have continued to get better daily, from the top of the room with Spencer (Petras) to the new guys that just got here in the fall,” Kingston stated. “We have consistently gotten better every day, which is all you can ask for, and the experience they bring to the team is huge.”
“We want to put the team first in every decision we make. That is really the standard that we are based on. How do we continue to progress the offense forward each drive? If we end every drive in a kick, we will be right where we want to be at the end of the year.”
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Utah State opens the 2024 season against Robert Morris on Saturday, August 31, at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. MT. The game will be aired on KMYU and the Mountain West Network.
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Brian Preece is a KSLsports.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s coverage of the Bees, Big League Utah, and Aggie athletics here.
